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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Question: What does the United
States have in common with Iran, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Palau, and Tonga?

Answer:
None has committed to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)—the most comprehensive global
treaty affirming the human rights of women.

This
month, an international committee will convene in Geneva, Switzerland, to
review country-level progress in implementing the landmark convention. Slated
for February 13–March 2, the 51st Session of the Committee on the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women will review reports on women’s rights submitted
by nations that have ratified CEDAW, a periodic exercise to assess whether
CEDAW is helping to advance women’s rights and where improvements could be made.

To date,
the United States remains the only developed country in the world that has not
ratified the treaty, in spite of having assisted in drafting the document in
the 1970s. Proponents of CEDAW point to the treaty’s successes in advancing
women’s rights globally—including in Bangladesh, where CEDAW was used to attain
gender equality in schools, and in Mexico, where treaty language was used in a
law prohibiting gender-based violence that was later passed.

Skeptics
in the U.S. Congress have questioned the vagueness of the treaty language,
looking to attach qualifications known as “reservations, understandings, and
declarations” (RUDs), including the understanding that ratification would not
create a right to abortion or compel the government to extend maternity leave.

Looking Back on CEDAW in the United States

After
taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama included CEDAW in his list of
five priority multilateral treaties, calling it an “important priority.” No
advances have been made toward ratification to date. Becoming an official party
to CEDAW would require the president’s signature, along with at least two-thirds
support (67 votes) within the U.S. Senate.

On two
previous occasions, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted favorably for
the treaty with bipartisan support—in 1994 (13-5) under President Bill Clinton
and in 2002 (12-7) under President George W. Bush. But since its adoption by
the United Nations in 1979, CEDAW has never been brought before the full Senate
for a vote. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter had also signed the treaty, but
without the Senate support needed for official ratification.

The most
recent legislative action on the issue was a bill introduced in the U.S. House by
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) about one year ago, promoting Senate support for the treaty.
No further action was taken after it was referred to the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee
on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. Previously, in November 2010, Sen.
Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired the first Senate hearing on the issue since 2002,
but came short of bringing the issue before the full Senate.